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Parents' Guide to

Blank Check

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Boy spends a million dollars in lame '90s comedy; peril.

Movie PG 1994 93 minutes
Blank Check Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Blank Check Movie: Scene #1
  • Blank Check Movie: Scene #2
  • Blank Check Movie: Scene #3
  • Blank Check Movie: Scene #4

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 5 parent reviews

Rachel A.
Rachel A. Parent of 2, 4, 7 and 9-year-old
May 21, 2020
age 12+

Not appropriate

My kids think this movie is awesome - and I remember it being a favorite when I was younger. Now as a parent, I don’t quite feel the same way. The movie isn’t all that bad, but by the end, I was pretty disgusted. The boy in the movie seems a little young to be crushing so hard on an adult female. She tells him at the end to call her in 10 years....and they argue back in forth until they settle on 6. This kid is maybe 10. Then, she kisses him, on the mouth. SICK! My kids even looked at me and said “Mom, did that lady just kiss him on the MOUTH?!” I had to make up something like “I think she kissed him here” (pointing above the lip but below the nose. SICK!

This title has:

Too much sex
Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of 1-year-old
April 24, 2019
age 15+

It glorifies pedophilia...

A 12 year old child hooks up with a 20-30 something year old FBI agent and then we wonder why there's so many inappropriate child/teacher relationships making the news. It takes a sick company to make a movie in which a child makes out with a grown woman. Thank you so much Walt Disney Pictures for continuing to make "wholesome" child friendly movies. Being a product of the 1990's is no excuse to paint a pretty picture of a child printing an illegal check (forging) and wasting the money on "stuff* and not only not getting in hardly any trouble, but also getting into a "romantic" relationship with a cougar (older woman who likes younger men or in this case boys) who works for the FBI and shares a kiss on the lips. There's nothing good I can think of to defend this movie.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much consumerism
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Preston (Brian Bonsall) is 11, the youngest of three sons in BLANK CHECK. He always seems to get the short end of the stick in a solidly upper-middle class household where Mom and especially Dad (James Rebhorn) value money and entrepreneurial drive more than the joy of being a kid. The more devalued Preston feels, the more he dreams of having his own money, his own home, and a life apart from his family. When an escaped convict crushes Preston's bike with his car and hands him a signed blank check for the damages, Preston fills in "one million dollars" and goes to the bank. The banker (Michael Lerner) has been pressed to launder that exact amount by the convict, so he readily hands over the cash. From then on, the banker, convict, and hired hand look for the kid at swimming pools and parks, driving recklessly and acting stupid. In less than a week, Preston spends the money on his own house, toys, a chauffeur, and impressing Shay (Karen Duffy), a grown woman he thinks works at the bank but is actually an FBI agent on a stakeout. Preston's clueless parents accept all of this based on the explanation that he is working for Mr. Macintosh, a mysterious employer he's invented. The bad guys get caught, Preston learns money isn't that important, his dad learns he's been too hard on the boy, and Shay suggests the kid call her in ten years for a more serious relationship.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5 ):
Kids say (7 ):

This movie has some well-acted moments but the plot is far more implausible than even the disbelief-suspending movies it clearly intends to mimic, Big and Home Alone. Brian Bonsall, who played Michael J. Fox's younger brother in Family Ties, does well enough as Preston, but the script makes him difficult to like and his situation difficult to accept. The 13-year-old in Big looks like a 30-year-old, so it's easy to understand why the 30-year-old woman in that movie is interested in him. But Preston is, and looks, very much 11. His date with 30-something Shay strains believability and, worse yet, is downright cringe-inducing. But Preston wants more than an older girlfriend. At the top of his wish list is to pay someone to knock off his truly unpleasant older brothers. Next, he wants to buy his own home because he understandably hates his unkind and oblivious parents. Since most unhappy 11-year-olds think of running away before hiring a killer and investing in real estate, the plot strains to bursting, but clearly Preston truly hates his family. At one point he runs off to a meeting and says to them, "Later, toads." The question is: What kind of kid is this and do we want to root for someone so money-obsessed and bossy? By the time Blank Check starts to channel Home Alone, when Preston gets busy outsmarting the bad guys who are ineptly chasing him, the movie has wound down into a big yawn.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why Preston feels unhappy at home in Blank Check. Do you think it's fair that his father belittles him because he isn't making money?

  • Do you think it's a good idea for parents to emphasize money above other values when raising children? What would the benefits be? What would the drawbacks be?

  • What would you do if you found a million dollars? What would be the consequences of spending money that isn't yours?

Movie Details

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